Lock the welder

These are a part I make at E-Fab- weld in gas tank mounting blocks. They are mass-produced for steel tanks, but I am the only one making them for aluminum tanks - the material I prefer to work with. People often criticize alumium as a poor material for fuel tanks because it is prone to cracking. There are two main reasons why any fuel tank will crack, poor welding and bad mounting to the bike. Sometimes (like stock steel fat bob tanks) rigid mounting works, so I am not totally ruling it out. However, when mounting a gas tank it is important to consider the application. Rubber mounted motor or rigid mount? Is it a smooth engine or one that vibrates? How wide-spread of a surface area to you have to mount to? I can't help with the welding (unless I build the tank), but I can help with the mounting. These are blocks that can be recessed into the floor of a gas tank and welded in. They are very deep so even if the underside of the tank is rounded, they will still recess sufficiently. Once welded, they can be blended in so they look like part of the tank. The steel strap gets split and welded to your frame, and uses a rubber isolater and aluminum "hat" to hold your tank. I always use 4 of them, spread as far apart as possible. It is important to know that these do not make your gas tank "loose feeling" on the bike- the tank feels rock solid- they simply relieve stress cause by vibrations at high frequency. I actually saw this concept first on old West Coast Choppers. Say what you will about Jesse but he knows how to build a solid bike. If you are building, or just buying, an alumium tank- do yourself a favor and mount it right. I see so many bikes with tanks just attached to the backbone of the bike with 2 tiny bolts in tiny tabs off the front and rear of the tank tunnel. Then people try to "rubbermount" them by using leather washers under the bolt! WTF? That it not "rubber mounting", that is just using a mushy washer, and will make your tank loose and cause it to fail even sooner than if you rigid mounted it. Ok enough ranting, here they are...